Out-of-this-world space shots (pictures)

See some beautiful winning shots from the 2013 David Malin Awards, which honor excellent astrophotography from Down Under.

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Top winner

This image by Martin Pugh, titled "NGC 3718," took top honors in this year's David Malin Awards for excellent in-space photography by Australians.

"This is a very fine image of a very interesting galaxy, one of the best I have seen," said judge Malin, the renowned astrophotographer for whom the awards are named. "The subtle coloration of the dust lane and bluish hue of the faint outer structures are excellent."

Amazing aurora

Greg Gibbs took the "Wide-Field" category for his shot "Lookout," a 180-degree panorama of the Aurora Australis stitched from eight images taken with a Canon 5D Mark II, with a 14mm lens at F/2.8 and ISO 3200. Canon Australia provided thousands of dollars in prizes to the winners, who were honored at a ceremony over the weekend.

Solar rings

Phil Hart won in the "High-Res" category for this shot, titled "Solar Eclipse - Progression at Second Contact." It was shot from the Mulligan Highway in Queensland, Australia, using a Canon 5D Mark II and a Takahashi FS-102 lens with 1.6x extender (1300mm, F/3).

Coronal radiance

Troy Casswell's high-dynamic-range image of the Cairns Total Solar Eclipse in November 2012 won in the "Solar System, Wide-Field" category of this year's David Malin Awards honoring excellence in Australian astrophotography. "The enormous brightness range and delicate structure of the solar corona is a difficult subject to capture, especially given its fleeting appearance," said David Malin, the judge. "Troy's high dynamic range picture is a very good effort that shows more than the eye can see."

Natural wonders

Aaron Zajonc's "Looking Up," which captures a quiet moment in nature, also captured an honorable mention in the "People and Sky" category of this year's David Malin Awards. The permanent exhibition of this year's winning photos is now on display at the Parkes Observatory.

Milky Way magic

Taken with a Nikon D800 camera and a 14-24mm Nikon lens, this magical Milky Way image won the Photo Editor's Choice award. "Everything about this image just makes me want to be there; its visual impact and appeal are spellbinding," said Steve Grove, photographic manager at Australian media company News Ltd. Grove judged this category of the competition.